


catch me when i fall

by panigales



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Eventual Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 20:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panigales/pseuds/panigales
Summary: “We’ll clean up the body, of course,” Kyungsoo continued, his tone as casual as if he had been commenting on the weather, “but you’re gonna have to fend for yourself.”“No, he’s not,” the deep voice cut in swiftly. Chanyeol stared at the boy cowering against the bloody walls. He took in the trembling hands, the long, slim fingers still covered in blood, still holding on to the dagger for dear life. He noticed the way he leaned in closer to Jongin, as if he were subconsciously seeking warmth and affection.And maybe, the ruthless gang leader felt the faintest stirrings of pity within him. And maybe, just maybe, a small part of him wished it was him that Baekhyun was cuddling up against, not Jongin.He nodded curtly at Baekhyun.“He’s coming with us.”***In which, Byun Baekhyun accidentally murders a rather high-ranking member of a rather influential gang one night on his walk home. Accidents do happen, you know. One thing leads to another, and Park Chanyeol, leader of the largest crime syndicate in all of South Korea, finds out he does have a heart after all.





	catch me when i fall

Baekhyun sat on the cracked sidewalk, his back pressed against the towering brick wall of the back alley. The nauseatingly metallic smell of fresh blood assaulted his senses, overpowering him like a raging tidal wave.

He couldn’t get away. The dying man’s screams were looped and playing back on repeat in his mind, filling the silence of the night. The way his angry threats and curses were cut short, replaced with laboured choking as the blood gurgled in the back of his throat. The way his limp body fell to the cracked pavement like a rag doll. The way the waterfall of crimson blood ran down his neck, from the gash in his bare neck. The gash that _he_ had created.

The weight of the bloody knife still rested in Baekhyun’s clenched fist. Carved patterns embedded into the hilt dig painfully into his sweaty palms. He held it still tighter in his hand. The sharp, stinging pain was a harsh reminder that this was indeed reality, not some twisted nightmare born from sleep deprivation and constant anxiety.

Baekhyun stared blankly into the darkness. Where had it all gone wrong? Less than ten minutes ago, he’d just been an ordinary college student, on his way back home after yet another long study session in the city library. He’d accidentally overslept, missed his train back, and one things had led to another until he had ended up walking through the semi-darkness in the middle of the night.

He hadn’t wanted some drunk madman to pull a knife on him, yelling for him to get out of ‘their territory’, whatever the hell that had meant. He hadn’t meant to panic and slit his throat when he’d finally managed to wrestle the knife away from him.

And now? He bit back a sob. Now, he was a murderer.

Baekhyun flinched when the sound of running footsteps reached his ears, drowning out echoes of the screams. He looked up to see three silhouettes, illuminated by the sickly yellow glow of the streetlamps outside, step into the alleyway where he was hiding.

One remained by the entrance, his tall figure cutting a menacing silhouette in the edges of the light’s reach. The other two stepped closer to Baekhyun, surveying the bloody crime scene with significantly less horror than Baekhyun had expected. If anything, they looked a little… relieved? It was almost as if they were used to the sight. The sight of a dead body. Baekhyun shivered at the thought.

All three of the mysterious new arrivals were dressed in dark suits. The suit jackets barely hid the arsenal of weapons that Baekhyun could just see, handgun holsters and knife sheaths neatly clipped onto belts on their hips. Polished shoes gleamed in the dying light rays that slipped into the dark back alley. They looked as if they had stepped out of some movie set of some Western police show that he’d sometimes see on TV.

Baekhyun tried to stifle the surge of panic that spiked within him as his heart pounded loudly in his ears. What if they were secret government agents or something? What if they locked him away and he’d never see the light of the day ever again?

The shortest of the three, looked down at the twisted body, then at the shaking boy, then back at the corpse again in apparent disbelief. “This kid really killed him? You have _got_ to be kidding.”

Yet another frowned at him. “Dude, shut up. Can’t you see he’s in enough shock already?” He crouches slowly beside Baekhyun, his movements graceful and fluid. Baekhyun instinctively shied away in fear.

The man’s voice was low and soothing, like music to his ears. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. We’re not here to hurt you, or to turn you in to the police. We just wanted to ask a few questions. Is that okay?”

Baekhyun nodded slowly.

The man beamed brightly, his sparkling eyes dancing with warmth. “What’s your name?”

“Baek– Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun.” His voice came out as little more than a whisper, forced out past chattering teeth.

The man nodded in response. “Well Baekhyun, I’m Jongin, this is– ahh, what the hell?!” Jongin twisted around to glare at another behind him. He was the one who had first spoken. One hard stare from the short-statured man was enough to send chills down Baekhyun’s spine. This guy definitely meant business.

“What the hell was that for?” Jongin frowned, reaching up with one hand to massage his shoulder blade, where the shorter man had apparently targeted a swift kick to. He’d moved so fast that Baekhyun didn’t even see the impact.

The man directed his unflinching stare at Baekhyun, who shrank visibly under the intensity of his dark gaze. “Should we really be telling someone we just met our real names? He could be working for _them_ for all we know.”

Jongin scoffed. “You really think he’s one of them, when he just stabbed one of their top ranking members to death? Honestly. Hey, boss!”

Jongin called over his shoulder to the third person that had followed him and Kyungsoo into the alleyway, but had hung back at the entrance, gazing warily into the dimness. The shadowy silhouette turned to face them. Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat – or two, or maybe even more – when his eyes fell upon the perfect face, the full lips, the piercing eyes that saw through into the depths of his soul.

“Yes?” The deep voice rang out loudly.

“Reckon we can tell him our names?”

The so-called ‘boss’ shrugged noncommittally. “Go ahead. I don’t think he’d be dumb enough to tell anyone after what’s happened. Not without… repercussions.”

The chilling tone of the man’s voice left Baekhyun in no doubt whatsoever. He’d end up worse than the man he just killed, if he dared to speak about the events that had transpired and the people he had met tonight.

“Cool.” Jongin’s radiant smile widened, as if he hadn’t even heard the thinly masked threat in his boss’ voice mere seconds ago.

“As I was saying,” he continued cheerfully, “my name is Jongin. The guy that just kicked me is Kyungsoo. Don’t let first impressions fool you, he’s actually just a cuddly teddy bea– hey! Stop hitting me!”

The corners of Baekhyun’s mouth twitched upwards in a slight smile, but quickly drooped down again when Kyungsoo glared at the pair of them. “Do not use my name and the word _‘teddy bear’_ in the same sentence again. I’m warning you.”

“Yeah yeah, deny it all you like, cuddly Kyungsoo.” Jongin rolled his eyes when the hard smack to the back of his head inevitably came, though he seemed more amused than irritated. “Finally, we have our glorious leader, Chanyeol.” He gestured grandly at the man with the deep voice and the flawless features with an elegant wave of his hand.

Baekhyun gathered what little was left of his courage, and opened his mouth. “Leader? Leader of what?”

An uneasy silence fell as no one answered. Baekhyun shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the three men’s gazes. The faint rustle of his bloodstained clothes was the only sound that disturbed the tense stillness.

“We have to get out of here fast.” Kyungsoo finally piped up. His eyes darted around the narrow alley, peering into the shadows suspiciously. “They’re gonna notice something’s up once one of their top dogs winds up missing.”

“Okay, okay. Well… you can’t exactly just go home after killing someone like this. Even if it was in self-defence. His gang– I mean like, his family, is gonna be out for your blood after this. So uh…” Jongin trailed off, unsure. He turned towards Kyungsoo for help. “What now?”

“You’re gonna have to find somewhere to hide. Fast.” The matter-of-fact tone of Kyungsoo’s voice was almost as chilling as his words.

Baekhyun couldn’t believe his ears. “What? You’re just gonna leave me here?” His voice came out shakier than he would’ve liked.

“We’ll clean up the body, of course,” Kyungsoo continued, his tone as casual as if he had been commenting on the weather, “but you’re gonna have to fend for yourself.”

“No, he’s not,” the deep voice cut in swiftly. Chanyeol stared at the boy cowering against the bloody walls. He took in the trembling hands, the long, slim fingers still covered in blood, still holding on to the dagger for dear life. He noticed the way he leaned in closer to Jongin, as if he were subconsciously seeking warmth and affection.

And maybe, the ruthless gang leader felt the faintest stirrings of pity within him. And maybe, just maybe, a small part of him wished it was _him_ that Baekhyun was cuddling up against, not Jongin.

He nodded curtly at Baekhyun.

“He’s coming with us.”


End file.
